Give and Take
by char-tomio
Summary: Human AU. A long-suffering victim of bullying and a foreign exchange student who suffers from heart disease. Will both manage to help each other pull through life or will this be just another failed attempt of friendship?
1. Chapter 1

Yekaterina Braginskaya looked around self-consciously at the people around her. She was the new kid. A foreign exchange student from Ukraine, transferred here in the Nordic region for some issues, mainly health. The medical facilities in here costed less and were far better than the ones back in their rural country hometown in Ukraine. It was just the ridiculously high costs of living she needed to adapt to.

And the people.

She managed to be friends with one person, Tino Vainamoinen. A cheerful and generous boy from Finland. His bright attitude was always able to make the atmosphere more accommodating than it should be. Plus, the smile on his face made him look younger than he really is. Even when he was a few months older than Katyusha.

The new sights were exciting enough as it is. There were people everywhere, some talking to each other, some minding their own business. She wondered, are her siblings okay? While occupied in her spin of thoughts, she bumped into something, or rather, someone indeed large.

"..P-prastite-"

For a moment, she felt like she was frozen.

A large blond male, towering some inches above her, stared at her with cold, greenish blue eyes partly concealed by his spectacles. It was enough to make her shiver. Her heart beating fast with terror, she ran away while he was unshaken and left alone.

Yekaterina ran as far as her legs and cardiovasculars managed to enable her. Time and time again, doctors had forbade her to do any heavy work or be exposed to stress. But that was irrelevant now. A mere stare from that person was enough to throw her heart's rhythm out of whack. She wouldn't want to see that kind of person again- someone with eyes that can force themselves into someone's soul.

A comforting hand was placed on her shoulder. She looked up.

"..T-Tino?"

The Finnish man frowned. "Why are you so tired?"

Yekaterina regained her stance and smiled sweetly. "Oh, nothing.. It's just..I bumped into someone scary today."

Tino's eyebrows furrowed, but spoke no more.

...

The young Swedish male shuffled around the hallways with his head bowed down. He knew that everyone kept sneering at him in a nasty way. Slowly making a right turn towards his dented locker, he noticed a scrap of paper taped in front of it.

His eyes narrowed, ripping it off and crushed it mercilessly in his hand. Not that it deserved to be pitied. He had been used to receiving taunts and the like almost every single day. But at least, this was the best thing his tormentors can do. His towering stature was the only thing that had protected him from a beating.

Silently, he opened his locker, only to unveil more written insults.

...

It was some days after that incident when Yekaterina had been in much pain. Her heart was acting up and the attacks were prolonged and more painful- starting off as a bearable pain, intensifying in minutes.

"Sestra, are you really ready for this?" asked a boy with the same head of platinum blond hair as her. The salt air wrapped around them like a damp blanket of some sorts. Yekaterina was spacing out at the edge of the dock, smiling at the occasional fishes she would see, skimming over the surface of the water without a care in the world.

"Sestra."

Yekaterina whipped around, seeing her beloved younger brother with a pouty face. She sighed. Ivan was such a worrywart, but she couldn't blame him. They had lost their parents while young and with her being diagnosed with heart disease, he was hardly able to feel at ease.

"Don't worry, brat." she grinned, "Fishing isn't as dangerous as you think it is."

Ivan wasn't satisfied with the answer. Their little sister, Natalya, was hanging around Ivan like a miniature shadow. She wasn't very affectionate to her, but Yekaterina knew worry when she saw it.

"It's about time you two have faith in me." said Yekaterina in a motherly tone, "After all, I feel safe enough having you two watch over me. You two are both my little angels."

Ivan warmed up a bit from her words. Natalya silently nodded and sat beside her elder sister.

"Make sure to catch some fish, sestra."

Yekaterina smiled warmly and cast her rod. Natalya was busy hooking the bait. The elder smiled but said nothing. Natalya was independent. Yekaterina knew her offer for help would simply be rejected, so she waited until Natalya herself would ask for it.

"So, Natalya.." started Yekaterina, "How was school?"

Natalya's ears perked up, but frowned. "You don't need to know."

Yekaterina had a small smile on her face. "I can see you're still not adjusting well to everyone."

"Maybe." she said with a straight face. Her eyebrows furrowed and let out an annoyed sigh. "Can you fix this for me?"

"Da, hold this." Yekaterina and Natalya exchanged rods as the former slipped the bait onto the hook easily. Natalya's dark eyes seemed to narrow as she stood up and tugged the rod.

"You got a bite?"

"Da, and it's fighting me."

"You can do it."

Natalya pulled the string out of the water and unveiled her catch. A medium-sized fish of some sort. Herring. Yekaterina grinned as Natalya placed her catch in their little basket.

"Vanya seems to be taking too long." sighed Yekaterina rather wearily, "Why don't you check on him?"

Natalya shook her head.

"He might be standing in line, some coins short again." said Yekaterina, "Like back then."

The blond's eyes shot up. There was one time when Ivan had ate too much in a restaurant when he realized he was a few banknotes short. The manager wouldn't let him go and was forced to stay in the shop until Natalya and Yekaterina had found him. The memory wasn't really pleasant at all.

"..Then, I'll go find him."

"Da, go on."

Yekaterina's teal eyes followed every single step her little sister look. As soon as she faded from her vision, her eyes shut hard, pressing the tears.

She had forced Natalya to go away as she was feeling her usual pain. She had felt it while walking up to the docks with both of her siblings. Her heart was beating too fast. She contemplated on what was worse- to feel this pain or to plunge in the water. Thinking about both seemed to make her feel more lightheaded.

She was in a bad place- at the edge of the dock. Quickly, she tried to stand, but her vision turned black and slowly, she felt herself fall backwards into the water, the salt water devouring her.

From her limited hearing, she could hear shouting all around. The cold was creeping into her body, dulling both her senses and the crushing pain in her chest. She jerked, trying to swim upwards, but the pain wouldn't let her. The best she could do was hold out her hand out to the light as she slowly lost consciousness.

"..Vanya...Natalya.."

Heavy feet pounded on the wooden floorboards.

A splash and the last thing she saw before closing her eyes was a dim figure swimming towards her.

* * *

**a/n: The basis of this Human AU story is from several creepypastas from deviantart and some ideas were taken from sweetsnow73. I asked permission. :)**

**Sweden**

**Berwald Oxensterrnia**

**19 year old Swede, victim of bullying since childhood. In his last year of senior highschool. Everyone knows his status as a victim, but there are a handful of people who are scared of him, Katyusha included.**

**Ukraine**

**Yekaterina 'Katyusha' Braginskaya**

**18 years old, diagnosed with angina pectoris. Moved with her two younger siblings from Ukraine to Sweden.**

**Russia**

**Ivan Braginski**

**17 years old, middle child. Worries about his sister a lot. His bottled up stress sometimes makes him a bit 'different' from all the other kids.**

**Belarus**

**Natalya Arlovskaya**

**15 years old, youngest child. There is a reason why she has a different surname and is not so affectionate to Katyusha, although she genuinely does care for her secretly.**

**Finland**

**Tino Vainamoinen**

**Katyusha's classmate. 18 years old but looks like 16. Finnish, but studies in Sweden.**

**The three are biological siblings. Their parents passed away from a car accident. They've been living with their grandfather since. Katyusha and Ivan were about 7 when their grandfather took in a 5-year-old Natalya, saying she was their little sister. (How you want to interpret it is your choice.) Being kids, they didn't know what he meant but accepted her as their own. Katyusha had assumed the title role of the mother in their house. She was diagnosed with angina pectoris at the age of 14 and was hospitalized for at least 5 times in her lifetime. They moved to Sweden for her medications. Their grandfather is still staying at the farmhouse, though there are some relatives to take care of him.**

**I searched up 'Health Care in Sweden' and was very VERY amazed.**

**Here's the links of the few stories I based this fic on. **

**(1) : / / serenedash . deviantart art / Creepypasta - Hetalia - Theory - Sweden - 0**

**(2) : / / sailorinferno12908 . deviantart journal / HETALIA - THEORY - 8  
**

**(3) : / / hayley566 . deviantart journal / Hetalia - theory - continued - 4**


	2. Chapter 2

'-Sestra..Se-'

'-ry up and call a-'

'-t did you do to her-

Yekaterina could hear faint conversations from the background. It seemed very distant, like someone talking in a dream. But not distant enough for her to not recognize the heavy fear they were imposing. She wasn't really aware that she had been sinking underwater a few seconds ago.

Some moments after, the ambulance arrived and the paramedics carried her off on a stretcher.

"Sestra.." gasped Ivan, "Natalya, sestra's awake!"

Yekaterina blinked a few times to see her younger siblings clearly. She was pondering whether she was just a bit lightheaded or was Natalya really in tears.

"..What happened..?"

"Y-you're in the hospital. They said you fell into the water while standing up." said Ivan in a hurried pace. Yekaterina nodded and shifted her attention to Natalya.

"I shouldn't have left you." said Natalya coldly. Yekaterina frowned. Natalya was trying her best to cover up her guilt and worry by being her usual insensitive self. Yekaterina regretted having to send her off, seeing that the guilt was eating her up.

"Nyet, it's my fault." Yekaterina shook her head, "I sent you off on purpose when I was having an attack. Prastite, sestra. I did it on purpose but I didn't know it was going to end like this."

Natalya didn't have the heart to shake off her heartbreaking apology. She simply nodded and wiped off the offending tears.

Yekaterina turned back to her little brother. "What did the doctor say?"

Ivan fidgeted a bit. "He said that..well..it was lucky you were rescued in time. If not.."

The look on Ivan's face told her everything. She held her hand firmly.

"Now, now, brat. We shouldn't be worrying about that." said Yekaterina, "I'm lucky enough as always. God doesn't want me to die."

Ivan gave a reluctant nod and Yekaterina asked about what happened after she blacked out. Still having a worried look, Ivan narrated on how they arrived to a team fishermen crowding her. And, well, yes, Yekaterina was right about Ivan staying in the bait shop because he had accidentally knocked over a small jar of salsa (which happened to be there) and had no money to pay for it. With a very depressed face, Ivan had added that the salsa was ridiculously expensive.

Yekaterina laughed at her little brother's mishaps, but suddenly remembered something. Something indeed very important.

"Oh, Ivan..who- did you see the person who rescued me?"

Natalya temporarily turned her attention to them. Ivan frowned. "A Swedish fisherman-something.. Actually, I did something to him."

"Did what?"

Ivan sheepishly scratched his cheek. "Well..I grabbed him by the collar-"

"Ivan.."

"A-at least I didn't punch him, I'm sorry!" cried Ivan. "I thought..well..he wasn't a good guy. He looked very scary."

Yekaterina was slowly getting used to scary-looking Swedes. "Really.. What did he look like?"

"Scary."

She sighed. "Anything else?"

Ivan rolled his eyes to the ceiling. "..Well, he was very blond..glasses, eyes like yours..only scarier-"

"Wait." Yekaterina interrupted. She paused for a moment, remembering that person whom she had bumped into. "..Do you think he's my age?"

"Oh? Ah, da." said Ivan, "Maybe a year older..? Oh, and he was very tall! As tall as me!"

Yekaterina frowned. The pieces were fitting.

Was this for real?

In that case, she has no choice but to thank him.

_If_ he was indeed her rescuer.

* * *

"Here, sestra." said Ivan, raising his small sketchpad. Ivan wasn't really the best artist, but he did conjure a believable enough sketch of a lanky but crooked man with similarly crooked glasses and short hair. Yekaterina couldn't help notice the blank stare the drawing had. Even in a drawing, he still looked as scary as ever.

"I don't know how I managed to draw that." said Ivan sheepishly, "When I look into his eyes, I think he wants to kill me."

Yekaterina sighed. It was really him.

**a/n: I've read in the Internet that in Sweden, there are no restaurants that serve Mexican food. (I love Mexican food.) Needless ta say, I don't own Hetalia.**


	3. Chapter 3

Tino looked at Yekaterina with worried lilac eyes. His eyes would most of the time have enthustiastic shine in them, but now, she could clearly see her own reflection staring back at her.

"Guessing from how you look, I think you've heard about what happened to me, da?"

The Finn nodded silently.

Yekaterina gave a motherly smile. "You don't need to worry about me, Tino. I'm perfectly fine now."

Tino tried his best to smile.

But he was not buying her claim. "So.. What did you want to talk about?"

The Ukrainian breathed deeply, calming her nerves. Tino guessed it was a pretty tense matter. "A-about my rescuer."

"And?"

"H-he studies here.." said Yekaterina nervously, "..I-I want to thank him, but, I-I've met him before and he-he's.." She bit her lip.

Tino tilted his head. "He's what?"

She gave no eye contact. "He's scary, that's all."

"Mmm." he grunted, "I might know him. What does he look like?"

She tried her best not to tense up. The thought of those cold teal eyes easily made her shiver. "..He's..well..very tall. 182 cms to be exact. As tall as my brother."

Tino nodded. "..Very well, and?"

"He's blond and wears glasses, his eyes-" Katyusha shivered. "H-his eyes, w-when he looks at you, it's like he wants to kill you."

"I think I know who you mean." said Tino, one eyebrow raised.

Yekaterina stopped, gently locking eyes with him. "You do?"

He silently nodded again. "His name is Berwald Oxenstierrna."

"..Berwald..?" she inquired. _Berwald, Berwald Oxenstierrna. Has a nice ring to it. Hm.. Berwald.._

Katyusha was snapped out with Tino's grunt. He looked up with disturbed violet eyes. "..I happen to know him."

...

For a few minutes, the two had talked about her rescuer, Berwald Oxensterrnia. Tino had said that they used to be very good friends, though for some reason, he slowly drifted away. He had once shared an apartment with him to know what he was really like. Tino had said that he was kind enough, but hard to read because of his blank face and silence. He is also unaware that he scares people a lot. He likes to make furniture and wooden crafts, to which he sells. It had been a year ever since he had a decent conversation with him.

"Also, he.." frowned Tino, "He's kinda offended whenever people think he's scary." Yekaterina blinked. "I feel sorry for him sometimes."

She thought about it for a while. _Tino sees nothing but the best in everyone but.. _"So, where do I see him?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not really sure what class is he in, but you might see him in the docks once again."

"..Um, how about other places..?"

"His parents' house?"

"No, I mean-"

"Oh!" Tino grinned, "You might see him in front of his locker in between classes. It's somewhere near the..laboratory."

* * *

Tino was indeed right. She saw his name on one of the lockers near the laboratory. _Oxenstierrna, B._

She observed it closely. The locker had a couple of visible dents. It looked like it had been punched or hit in a fit of rage. This Oxenstierrna man must always be in a very foul mood..

It was possible she could wait forever. It was lunch and he should be here to pick up his books for the next class. The bell rang and soon enough, students went to their own respective classes. She figured that he was probably the type of guy to carry his books around everywhere. He was pretty large and strong, after all.. Or maybe he didn't even need books. She was about to turn back and wait for another opportunity until she saw him face to face.

The man himself, Berwald Oxenstierrna.

**a/n: I have no idea how lockers in Sweden look like so..I'm sorry. I hope you guys like it! T^T**


	4. Chapter 4

No one was left in the hallways other than them. She felt sharp, but tiny chills run down her spine. He wasn't glowering at her or anything, just intimidating her with his presence.

Berwald was similarly intimidated. He was never good at these kind of situations. Yekaterina could see familiarity in his eyes.

_Da, he's the guy._

"Um.. Hej." He was a yard away. Class had started. She was going to make it quick.

"Um, t-t.." Yekaterina searched for the right Swedish term, "..Tack. F-for rescuing me the other day. Do svidaniya."

With that, she shyly bowed her head and passed by him. Her heart was beating fast, not because of fear or fatigue. For some reason, talking to him made her nervous. Much like when she had to sing in front of many people.

"Ja.." he drawled, "Varsågod."

Yekaterina stopped at the sound of his deep voice. Her knowledge of Swedish wasn't the sharpest so it took her a few seconds to remember what the phrase meant. And when she did, all fear dissipated. Without further thinking, she turned back to him and smiled. A smile, which said she was at ease. She didn't notice his face redden at the gesture. She didn't even notice that she was blushing on her own, too.

As soon as she disappeared, Berwald opened up his locker. His eyes widened but his face remained blank.

There were no hate messages today.

He took out a book and slowly closed the locker. Cautiously, Berwald leafed through the pages. No letters in here, too. The large Swede abruptly shut the book with one hand, releasing a small breath of relief.

He wouldn't mind seeing that girl again.

* * *

"I think he's a nice guy."

Tino looked up from his mashed potatoes and grinned widely. "That's because he really is." Behind that smile, Tino had some ulterior motives.

"Well," Tino looked to the girl, who seemed happier than usual. "You could both use a friend."

Her smile immediately faded. "Chto?"

"I-I-I mean, well, look," Tino gestured with his hands, "Natalya can't watch over you, Ivan can't watch over you, _I_ can't watch over you.." He smiled teasingly, one eyebrow up. His face turned gentle again at Katyusha's confused expression. "C'mon Kat. Everyone needs a friend, especially him."

There was something about Tino's plan she didn't quite like. "How do I even do that?"

She could swear he looked like Feliks Lukasiewicz when he rolls his eyes. "Look, girl, he obviously likes you!"

Yekaterina tilted her head. Tino had a half-open mouth and blank expression on his face. He turned around to see Feliks Lukasiewicz himself behind Tino, holding his tray of food. He pushed himself beside Tino, who couldn't protest. "I saw the Ox earlier on the hallway, smiling to himself. I waved at him and guess what? He waved back! He doesn't normally do that!"

Tino and Yekaterina stared at him, speechless.

"..The Ox..?" she managed to mouth out.

"His nickname." Tino responded. He sighed. Though a bit appalled by Feliks' boundless energy, Tino knew he had a point. A very big point. The last time he managed to see him smile was when his team won in the regional hockey game. And that was a small smile. From Feliks' narration, he could easily see Berwald grinning from ear to ear.

He couldn't believe that he was going to say it. "Feliks is right."

The Pole punched the air triumphantly. Tino regretted saying those horrible words.

"So, like, our plan is to get those two lovebirds-"

"Nope." Tino huffed, pulling Yekaterina up, "Come, Kat, we're moving to another seat."

Yekaterina didn't really know what to do, so she just went along. But before leaving, she smiled sweetly at Feliks, whispering 'sorry'.

* * *

Feliks Lukasiewicz set down his stuffed pony and grabbed his glittery pink phone. He secretly hates people who think that pink is solely for women. It was just a matter of preference.

"Hellooo, Feliks speaking."

"Feliks? This is Tino."

He furrowed his eyebrows, still annoyed at the earlier events. "Hay, so, what's up?"

"Sorry about earlier. I really needed to do that."

"Hm-hm.."

"I need your help."

Somewhere far, Tino cringed at the high pitched laughter from the other line. He sighed. "Yes, I know, I need your help."

"Feliks Lukasiewicz at your service, please." he grinned widely, "So, what's it about?"

Tino grunted. "Well..um.."

There was silence from the other line. "Tino? Tino-man?"

Feliks let out a breath of relief as Tino returned. He couldn't help but grin at his mission.

"We're going to get those two together."

* * *

"Sestra."

Katyusha looked up the upper bunk bed. She could swore she heard Natalya call her..

"Did something happen today?"

The elder sister blinked. "What do you mean?"

Natalya's voice was cold and emotionless, much like always. "You've been smiling the whole day."

Natalya and Katyusha shared a room while Ivan slept contentedly in the living room, partly because no one could stand his snoring. The man snored like a bear.

And the second reason was to avoid getting caught up in 'girl discussions'.

"So." Natalya drawled, "Did something good happen?"

At the positive reply, the 17-year-old sparked with curiosity, although trying hard not to show it. Needless to say, her attempts were futile.

"I know you're interested, sestra."

Bristling in embarrassment, Natalya settled for a quick nod. Katyusha draped the thin blanket around herself.

"It's just that, I met a nice person today."

* * *

**Hej- (Sve.) Hey**

**Tack- (Sve.) Thank you**

**Ja- (Sve.) Yes**

**Varsagod- (Sve.) You're welcome**

**Do svidaniya- (Rus., Ukr., Bel.) Goodbye**

**a/n: so..there, this might crawl from friendship to romance because..well, I ship these two together and well, that.**

**Don't own Hetalia.**


	5. Chapter 5

"Now Feliks, we're only going to set them up as _friends_." Feliks giggled at Tino's emphasis on _friends_. They had been chatting on the phone for hours like giddy teenage girls, discussing important details, tactics on how to make the two lovers paths cross. And Tino was giving crucial advice. They were only going to set them up to be friends and nothing more.

"And when they do become friends, we'll sit back, get a well-deserved rest and leave the rest to them." The Pole grinned wider when the man on the other line added that. Feliks could easily visualize Tino with a sinister grin as the man on the other line started laughing evilly. He was grinning like a madman, too, but there was something he was concerned about.

"Hey, Tino?"

"What?"

Feliks stared at the ceiling in thought for a while. "Well..what if they do manage to fall in love but they won't admit it?"

"Then we intervene."

"No, that's not it." he rose from his lazy slouch, "I mean, the Ox probably never had any friends and he starts falling in love.. What if he chooses not to confess because he doesn't want anything to happen?"

Tino blinked, trying to process. "..What do you mean?"

Feliks sighed in exasperation. "Have you heard of 'Lovers can break apart but friends are forever?'"

"I can't say I do."

Tino could easily see Feliks rolling his eyes to the high heavens. "But you get it, right?"

"Kyllä."

"English."

"Yes. Yes I do. I get it." Tino frowned.

Feliks remained still in serious thought. "Look, Tino-man.."

The Finn listened carefully. Feliks had the best ideas on the few times he's actually serious about something.

"It's a likely case."

Though expecting a much longer explanation, plus a rant, he stuck with it.

"Then we have to let things go as they are." said Tino.

With a contented grunt and no more opinions shared, the discussion was officially over.

* * *

"Berwald!"

Berwald Oxenstierrna slowly turned his head to the familiar voice among the everyday hallway sounds.

"Berwald!"

"Tino."

It was Tino Vainamoinen, his best friend whom he had drifted away from. How long was it before they had a decent conversation..he didn't know.

"Just wanna know how are you doing lately?"

"Mm, fine." His eyes momentarily wandered away.

Tino was fidgeting with himself. "Ah, you won't mind if you eat lunch today, right?"

The Finn immediately saw the flash of gentle emotion that shot across Berwald's usually blank face. "R'lly?"

"Yeah, yeah." Tino grinned, running behind Berwald and pushing the quite pleased Swede to the cafeteria. "Let's go! I'll introduce you to my friends!"

The rare pleased smile on his face immediately disappeared. He resisted against the push and turned to face Tino with a blank face and apologetic teal eyes.

"Can't." the Swede tensed up, "M'ybe s'me oth'r t'me."

"What? Ei, wait! Berwald!"

Tino could only heave a sigh as Berwald disappeared into the crowd of teenagers, never looking back.

_Like the last time he saw him._

* * *

"You what?!" Tino cringed at Feliks' high-pitch shriek of disbelief. "You-you-you just..You seriously let the Ox go?!"

The Finn could only nod in return. "Not actually my fault. I.. I forgot about his thing for strangers."

Feliks tilted his head. "What 'thing'?"

"I dunno." he sighed, "You see, when I moved here from Finland.. I never had any friends other than Berwald and his brothers-"

"The Ox has brothers?"

"Three actually. His family was messy." Tino responded, "I lived with him and his brother Mathias. Mathias was a nice enough man.." Feliks raised an eyebrow. He had so been fed up with Tino's descriptions of 'nice enough people'. "..A little bossy.. A bit sloppy-"

"You mean you open the door and you see his shirts and boxers literally flooded around the room?" asked Feliks, observing his neat nails.

"Kyllä, and his Lego pieces." Tino smacked his hand in approval.

"Ouch. Well, that's not 'a bit sloppy'." the Pole deadpanned.

Back to the story, Mathias Kohler was Berwald's elder step brother, born from his father's first wife. Tino and Berwald lived with him while Berwald's two younger half brothers, lived separately. They endured Mathias' bad cleaning habits, overcontrolling and drunk rampages. He couldn't really remember how many times had they bailed the man out of jail. Mathias would apologize and thank them afterwards, and find themselves in front of the cell after a few days. Then, there was Berwald and Mathias' regular brawls. Because Mathias was drunk, Berwald easily won occasionally unscathed. He'd sometimes forget his strength, which led to him receiving a severe beating from his father. Berwald soon got fed up and ran off with Tino. So far, he's been a loner and had never really tried talking to his estranged brothers.

By the end of the story, Feliks' view on Berwald Oxenstierrna completely changed. From Feliks' point of view, his slight xenophobia had been

"He's had it rough.."

"Yeah, I know." said Feliks, "But what about his 'thing' for strangers? Your background doesn't really give me anything."

"Oh, that?" he perks up, "..Well.. I just noticed he's been really lonely. Also, I noticed that he's being ostracized so maybe he's thinking that other people don't want him, something like that..?"

Feliks tilts his head. Peppers, politics, psychology.. Psychology especially. Seriously, things that start with 'p' made him real gassy.

Except pink and ponies of course.

**Translations**

**Kyllä- (Fin.) Yes**

**Ei- (Fin.) No**

**The family background is more than slightly inspired by sweetsnow73, a better SweUkr writer. And some are taken from real life history and in the hetalia . kitawiki. com. Sweden and Finland were once under Denmark and it says in Denmark's profile in hetalia. kitawiki that he used to challenge Sweden a lot, often losing.**

**Hey, like Tino said, Mathias is a nice enough man. Most of the time just, y'know, stress leads to people doing wrong things. He'll get more screen time.**

**Thanks for the few people who actually take time to read this fic.**


	6. Chapter 6

He didn't know what was wrong with him.

All his life, he had been avoiding the dirty looks and stares he'd collect whenever he'd be outside. Eyes seemed to follow him anywhere- everywhere. He'd even shy away from his own teal eyes in front of the mirror. He understood why everyone found him intimidating- because he himself was intimidated by his eyes.

_'The eyes are the windows of the soul.'_

It was true.

He wondered what his soul looked like. Possibly in a gloomy teal blue, partly hidden by broken glass lens whose shards embedded itself deeply into his being- a gruesome sight to send anyone running away in fright. Just like his eyes.

Hesitantly, he looked up to face himself in the mirror.

_'Jerk.'_

_'Weak.'_

Muted repetitions of the everyday taunts echoed through the young Swede's mind. He remembered every single detail of how they looked at him with eyes of indifference.

_'Such a lousy, useless, boy...does not deserve to exist.' _A dangerous glint appeared in his eyes.

_**Crash.**_

He let out a strangled gasp, but it was no use. His fist had already connected with the mirror. _Right into his face._ Berwald frantically retracted his clenched knuckles- bloody red knuckles, with shiny shrapnels deep -from the broken glass.

"Nej," he breathed. No use apologizing. The damage had been done.

Just like before.

"Nej. Nej.." He does not notice how he kept repeating the same word over and over, nor how hollow his own voice sounds from disuse. All he sees is the monster. And his teal eyes brimming with hate.

_The eyes are the windows of the soul._

He punches it again, driving the pieces deeper into his screaming skin. It doesn't hurt. He deserves it, he thought.

With that, he slid lifelessly down the floor, losing himself to the destructive numbness that was slowly eating him up. He pretended that those tears, a poor attempt of making himself feel a bit of warmth, never existed. Monsters never cry.

_'Monster.'_

* * *

It's been too long since her last attack. A school year and a half. Contrast to the wonderful quality of health care and rates, Yekaterina's family was subjected to Sweden's 25% sales tax on everything, which made living a little bit less enjoyable.

Her last attack landed her in the hospital.

The hospital.

Such a dull place.

She sighed, taking a precious little coin and inserting it into the slot, waiting for a can of coffee to drop out.

Yekaterina blinked.

She poked the machine.

Nothing.

A few moments more, people were gathering to watch an 18-year-old girl in pajamas desperately pry out a can of coffee from the vending machine.

After a few unproductive moments, she sighed in exasperation. _Stress was not good.. _Yekaterina kicked the detested hunk of metal, expecting nothing, but the sudden clang and drop made her turn back. Could it be..? Two cans of coffee fell out. They rolled down on the white tiles and stopped beside a brown leather shoe. Curious hands picked them up, examining with bespectacled blue eyes.

Teal on teal.

"Oh," Yekaterina gave a smile, though forced, "..It's.." she fought to remember,"It's you. Berwald." Berwald Oxenstierrna was there, dressed properly in a shirt and coat, holding a woven picnic basket, blinking. She was...smiling. He grunted, hesitantly walking towards her, the cans of coffee enclosed in large, trembling hands. It was then she realized that his right hand was wrapped in bloodstained bandages.

"What happened-"

Hurriedly, he shook his head and dumped both cans in her hands. Berwald turned heel and was about to run when she gripped his arm rather forcefully. A shiver shook his body. It had been so many years since he had been touched.

"I'm sorry," she breathed, "I-I know it's none of my business-"

"'S alright." For some reason, the worry on her face made him uneasy. She seemed slightly relieved. He grew more and more uncomfortable, especially when she gave away the other can of coffee to him. A token of appreciation, probably?

Her lips move faster than her mind. "So, what brings you here?" The bandages flashed back to her mind and she mentally berated herself for such a stupid question. He was silent with pursed lips, indecesive eyes darting from every direction.

"Actually, 'm waitin' for a friend." He sheepishly scratched the back of his head. Yekaterina blinked.

The smile on her face grew.

"Really?" She beamed, brighter than the sun. Berwald wondered why was she so interested and yet..

He felt very glad that she is.

"I see," the Ukrainian smiled, averting her gaze. She looked like she was pondering about some things. "I'm waiting for moy siblings, too. Would you..um," she looks up again, "..like to wait for him with me?" His eyes slightly widen.

After a few seconds of consideration, he answered with a grunt and a nod.

So there they sat in companionable silence in the waiting room, surrounded by the weekend hospital bustle and people running about- nurses, doctors, receptionists..hospital people. She talked to him every so often and he responded every time, trying to look less scary as possible.

It was very hard for him.

Minutes passed by.

He glanced at her. She was very occupied in her thoughts, staring at everyone. He had this very itching urge to talk, just to give him a chance to communicate with her. It wasn't something new- he always had this urge.

"Um," he extended a shy hand to her, and she turned to him. There was some noise on her left, prompting her to look away from him and turn back around.

A baby. A crying baby, probably less than a year old, held by her flustered redheaded mother, who was trying her best to calm him down. It was obviously her first time and looked like she had no prior experiences in dealing with children. Yekaterina's face softened and the flustered woman took notice.

"You do not have a cold, do you?" She asked her in swift Swedish. It took her some time to process everything. When she shook her head, the woman then asked her if she knew how to quiet down the sobbing mess. Yekaterina's eyes seemed to lit up, and accepted the bawling bundle in her gentle arms.

Everything seemed natural to her. She looked at him with loving teal eyes and hummed softly in Ukrainian. Every gentle word from her mouth sounded so enchanting to both Berwald and the mother, and soon, the child was done crying, now looking back at her with curious doe eyes. She turned her companion, startling him. He shied away from the baby, and Yekaterina was deliberately 'introducing' him to the little redhead.

"See? That's dyadya Berwald. Handsome, da?" His cowering figure was clearly reflected in the tot's glassy eyes and he wondered, did he really look like that? Cautiously, he turned to face the child. He was very sure that it would cry again at the sight of him, but no.

"Look at dyadya Berwald."

With one arm balancing the child, she took Berwald's bandaged hand, which was shaking nervously and held it near his miniature frame. The baby looked at it with genuine curiosity and wonder, as if it was the most interesting thing in the world, and soon, a tiny hand gripped the Swede's index finger. Even the mother was smiling.

"He likes you."

"Mm." His stare was blank, and yet, he was dying with joy inside. The corners of his mouth were curving in a fond smile that stuck there, even when the little one pulled on it and shook it hard that it hurt. But the pain wasn't as great as the silent bliss he was feeling. He held the small hand gently, wondering when was the last time he had actually touched someone's hand.

Yekaterina looked back at the mother and returned the no-longer crying toddler back to her mother's arms without a fuss. The woman was speechless and yet, just as happy as the child she carried.

"Tack, så mycket fröoken."

"Oh, v-vårsagod." Yekaterina responded in shaky Swedish. The receptionist called out the woman's name, and she bade them goodbye, stopping at the counter and disappearing into one of the rooms. The baby in her arms seemed to grin mischievously as well.

For once, Berwald didn't feel bad in the presence of how many people. He turned to the smiling Yekaterina, who fondly quipped that she had never seem him smile before. He blushed at this.

Sadly, his smile disappeared into his blank face when his phone vibrated in his pocket. Yekaterina observed him, who was staring very sternly at the screen. Well, that's how his face looked like every time.

"What's the matter?" She looked up to him. Berwald's expression suggested nothing, but his eyes looked quite confused and flustered.

"Tino's not comin'."

"Oh.."

The screen lit up once more. Another text from Tino.

* * *

_Sorry for the trouble. You can eat the sandwiches. I'll just treat you when we meet next time._

_ -Tino_

* * *

Berwald flipped the phone closed and placed it back in his pocket. Yekaterina supposed he was angry, not that there was a time (aside from earlier) when he didn't look like it.

"Well?" The sudden query startled him a bit. Berwald simply responded with an unsure nod.

_'He said I can eat the sandwiches.'_

The Swede fixed his gaze on the basket in his lap. Earlier that day, Tino had told him about his intention of visiting him. He rarely had a friend visiting him, so he prepared some sandwiches as a token of gratitude. Too bad he didn't come.

He opened the picnic basket and pulled out a sandwich. His gaze fluttered to the woman beside him, thinking how to give it to her. Does he have to talk, does he have to smile? Human interaction was basically a science of a thousand details for Berwald Oxenstierna. Remembering how she wordlessly gave him the coffee, he silently tugged on her sleeve and handed her the plastic wrapped food. At first, she seemed confused, but accepted it with a smile.

"This is really good," she said between bites, "What kind of sandwich is this?"

"Horse meat."

Berwald soon regretted telling her that.

After that..shocking revelation, they both said nothing and remained speechless for the 10 or more minutes they spent together until her siblings, Natalya and Ivan arrived. She happily waved at both of them and was quite oblivious that her beloved siblings were glaring at her companion like a piece of horse meat.

"Um," Yekaterina sheepishly started, "This is Berwald, a friend of mine." The bespectacled Swede blinked in disbelief. _Did she just-_ Yekaterina tugged on his sleeve. "And Berwald, these are my siblings, Natalya and Ivan."

"Privet."

"Privyet."

Maybe it was the Slavic accent, but Berwald thought that Yekaterina's siblings have a way of saying greetings that really made them sound like 'go die'.

"..Hej," he breathed. Natalya's eyes narrowed and Yekaterina stood by her sister's side, reassuring her that he was completely harmless. Well, he wasn't exactly the one who looked most like a murderer amongst them four. Pressured by the dagger-like glares, he abruptly stood up and bade farewell. He could still feel their eyes following his every movement, but they were far bearable than the ones he was used to. Their eyes foretold no indifference nor hate, just plain wary suspicion and overprotectiveness. He blinked away the thoughts of his siblings, but yes, he truly missed them.

"Wait." He stopped, turning back to see Yekaterina with a hand stretched out. She promptly retracted it shyly. She hesitated for a while, eyes darting everywhere again. A habit, he supposed.

"W-would you like to have dinner with us?"

* * *

**t/n: Nej- (Sve.) No**

**Dyadya- (Ukr., Rus.) Uncle**

**Tack sa mycket, froken- (Sve.) Thank you very much, miss (Google Translate)**

**Privet, Privyet- (Rus., Bela.) Hello**

**Hej- (Sve.) Hi**

**a/n: Expect an update maybe once or twice a month.**

**Also, horse meat is an acceptable sandwich filling in Sweden.**

* * *

**Trivia: The baby? That's Ladonia. :)**

* * *

**Disclaimer: Don't own Hetalia.**


End file.
